An American at Hogwarts
by The Milk Cow
Summary: A new year at Hogwarts, a new face on the faculty!


Author's Note: Hi first timer here, well writing fan fiction, that is, I'm far from a first timer reading it! This is an idea that I've been mulling in my brain for many months now and I thought it was time to move it out of my brain on onto the computer! I hope that when more is written and the general plot line becomes a bit more evident, that you will find this to be unique. Until then please bear with me as I maneuver the strange world of fanfiction writing, just as my main characters maneuvers the strange world of Hogwarts!

Prologue

"How in the hell did I end up here", the woman thought, as she looked around her new home for the next year. This was unlike anything she had ever imagined in her wildest dreams: a wizarding school? The fact that wizards and witches even existed, let alone went to special schools was unknown to her a mere week ago, and here she was, at this moment, residing in one! Even stranger than that, she was going to be working here, teaching the students that attend this school. She looked around her quarters; her furniture was somehow magically transported here. Her laptop computer, TV and DVD player worked, though there was not an electrical outlet to be found. Dumbledore tried to explain it to her, but as with most things he'd said this past week, she just nodded and pretended to understand! Dumbledore…had it really only been a week since she met him for the first time?

It all started when she had read an interesting ad in the city's newspaper, "A unique teaching experience at a special school in Scotland, looking for applicants with a background in world politics, foreign policy and/or international relations". She should have been tipped off when the contact person for North America was in Salem, MA. However, she fit the bill, having recently obtained her Masters in International Relations, specializing in policy issues. She had also interned with the US State Department and worked for a time at the United Nations. She had also always dreamed of being a teacher though, a college professor to be precise, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to blend her educational background with her desire to educate! Needless to say, she submitted her resume right away. Within 2 days she was contacted by the individual in Salem, by the end of the week, she was in Salem, meeting with a strange man wearing strange clothes and talking about a strange world that she never knew existed, but had been thriving for centuries right under the world's noses.

Chapter 1

A knock suddenly sounded at the door. She startled out of her reverie and stared blankly for a moment before remembering where she was. She quickly pulled herself together and opened the door. In front of her stood…nothing. That was odd, she could have sworn someone knocked on her door. She closed the door, only to hear a second knock. She opened it again and saw…nothing. Just then a small sound, like a throat clearing came from below where she was standing. She looked down and was startled and a bit taken a back at what she saw. It was a tiny person, though that could have been an exaggeration. He, or it appeared to be a he, had a short, squat body and a round head with pointed ears on top. He was peering up at her with round, luminous eyes. To be honest, she was a little freaked out by the sight of this unfamiliar creature. And then, he spoke.

"Pardon me, miss, but Professor Dumbledore sent Dobby to tell you that dinner is to be served very shortly. He also instructed Dobby to make sure Miss finds the Great Hall", the creature looked extremely proud with himself at the end of his message.

It took her a second to close her gaping mouth and other 5 seconds to remember he had come with instructions from Dumbledore.

"Alright", she told him, "give me just a minute and I'll be ready to go".

Dobby nodded and waited as she closed the door. Inside the room, her head was reeling from the encounter. Dumbledore's need for a teacher had been pretty urgent and there had been little time to really introduce her to the wizarding world and the many unique details that existed within it. She had only just arrived this morning, in fact. After a lengthy interview, Dumbledore had hired her on the spot. However, she only had one week to put all her affairs in order and move to Scotland, so needless to say, she had jumped in feet first and was only now starting to consider the situation she had gotten into. Dumbledore had given her a basic background on the wizarding world with some demonstration thrown in to prove the authenticity of the fantastic world he was weaving for her. However, that had been the extent and now it seemed that she was going to learn the rest the hard way, by experiencing it first hand. And her first lesson appeared to be standing right outside her door, waiting to take her to dinner.


End file.
